newbieforge

Hi all, Recently this anvil appeared on an online classifieds site. It is a 200-300lbs Peter Wright and the seller wants $300 or best offer. It looks like it has been beat up a little bit, but I am considering offering $150-200 for it anyway. (In my area anvils are very hard to come by in the best of times. I have let some good ones pass by before, so I've learned it's better to buy them when possible, because it's just as easy to sell them again later.) Do you have any thoughts on the condition and value? Regards, Markus

Hi all, This is a continuation of my previous topic (http://www.iforgeiro...and-work-bench/) since I couldn't find a way to attach pictures in replies, without using another web site like Photobucket. (I prefer not to use Photobucket, because while reading older posts, I was frustrated at times that pictures shared on Photobucket tend to disappear after a while.) In response to Frank Turley, from the previous topic: The legs do have chamfering. Here is a look at the vise legs: They have nice chamfers, and toward the top of the front leg, above the "main" chamfer, there are a couple of semicircular chamfers. Here is a close-up of the writing: I still can't read all of it. The 1st line might say "JWCODASTON???", or "J.WOOD.ASTONAOS", or... any help in deciphering it would be welcome. Thanks & all the best, Markus

Frank, As I can't find a way to attach photos to this reply, without using a 3rd party site like Photobucket or Imgur, I'll start a new topic in the Vises forum. Regards, Markus

Hi guys and gals, Thanks for the warm welcome! Pug}{man, Thanks! Finally having a dedicated metal working and forging bench is a real motivator for me to get out and forge more. knots, Thanks for the tips on aligning the jaws. How do you recommend applying heat only to the area that will be twisted? It sounds like a job for an oxyacetylene torch... a tool that has been on my wish list for some time. Vaughn, I had movement problems with another bench that wasn't really optimal for blacksmithing. I think that must have subconsciously motivated me to overbuild this one. On the other hand, the amount of effort to make a lighter bench would have been approximately equal; given the choice I probably would have built it heavy regardless. And I think you're right about the bolts being silly. :-) quint, Daniel, female_blacksmith, Thanks. If you want to make one yourselves, I would be happy to share some plans, although as you can see it's pretty simple. If you have a welding machine, cut-off saw, grinder, and a buddy to help you lift the surface onto the finished stand, you could probably have the paint dry by Monday morning, after a weekend and 12-24 beers. Phil, Haha, it is more of an anvil. I did want a work surface that can act like an anvil. In fact when I strike the surface with a hammer directly over one of the legs, it has a satisfying ring and rebound much like striking an anvil. I am thinking about etching square outlines over the legs, to mark the "sweet spots". I also deliberately left wide overhangs on the edges, so that I can add "pritchel" and "hardy" holes for future needs. Having seen some of the railway track anvils others use, I thought it would be a fun weekend project to make an attachment point for train track. I think it would handy to have right beside the vise, for detailed work like animal heads or small scrolls. Frank, Your points on 360 degree access to the vise are well taken. In fact I have a second, smaller vise, in poorer condition, and someday I will build a "mobile" stand for it, as others here have done. Also, thanks for the insights on the type of vise. In a separate response, I will post some close-up photos of the vise, including the writing on it. All the best, Markus

Hello everyone, I've been lurking here once in a while since the spring, and I thought it's time to introduce myself. I'm from the Sudbury area in Ontario, and I'm new at blacksmithing. Over the last year or so I have been collecting the required tools and equipment. The collection process has been a unique journey, that has taken me to various towns in the region, where I may otherwise never have visited. This spring, I completed my work bench, which has liberated me to do more forging and metal work. I thought I'd start by showing some photos of the new bench. Here it is: The bench surface is a plate of 2" thick AR100 steel, roughly 21" by 26". The protrusion where the leg vise is attached is about 12" by 8". The whole piece weighs about 240lbs. I picked it out from the back lot at a local steel fabrication place. The vise has 5" wide jaws. I picked it up in Toronto, on the way home from a work assignment. The mobile portion of the vise has some letters stamped in it: TM JWcoDASTON?? STOVEBRIDGE (STONEBRIDGE?) WARRANTED Some of the letters are hard to read, but if that sounds familiar to anyone, then please let me know as I'd be curious to know more about the origins of this vise. It is in fine working condition, and the faces of the jaws still have good knurling. However, the jaws are out of parallel by just under 1/16", something I'll have to look at later if it becomes an issue. On the floor is 1.5" thick, 15" diameter steel disc, in the center of which I drilled a 1" hole to receive the leg of the vise. It weighs around 75lbs, and I put it there to avoid damaging the floor. The idea was to add some more mass under the vise, and to spread the hammering forces evenly over the floor. On second thought, it may be a little bit overbuilt. The frame construction is very simple, 18" by 18" square, welded from 3" by 3" square tube and 3" C-channel. It is bolted to the floor at the corners using 1/2" bolts. Prior to building this bench, I had tried some twists and other work with a regular bench vise, that was bolted to a wooden bench, that wasn't attached to the floor. Usually the whole bench tended to move around. Needless to say, bench movement is no longer an issue. The disc is bolted to the frame with a bracket made from 1" by 1" square steel. As for the paint scheme on the disk, there is no good reason for it other than rust protection, and my whimsical mood that day. ;-) That was about it for now. I'm very glad this community exists, and I'm looking forward to more forging and more learning. All the best! Markus